BEEF FILMS' Nick Spooner Pays Homage to the Classic '80s Sitcom With "The Bear and the Gang" for NHL Boston Bruins

(April 05, 2012)

DMN Newswire--2012-4-5-- Take a trip back in time with BEEF Films' Director/Partner Nick Spooner for his collaboration with Arnold Worldwide on their signature campaign for the NHL Boston Bruins. Creating an homage or send-up of the classic 1980s sitcoms such as "Who's the Boss?" or "Charles in Charge," Spooner and the agency creatives worked closely together to re-create the quintessential '80s style for their mini-series: "The Bear and the Gang."

The 60-second mini-episodes highlight the misadventures of the iconic Bruins Bear and his NHL Bruins buddies. The premiere opener, "The Bear and the Gang/Introduction," was released last Monday, March 26th via Social Media. To view the opener, go to the front page of the BEEF Films site at: www.beeffilms.com

In just one week, "The Bear and the Gang" has gone viral and garnered thousands of fans on Facebook and tens of thousands of hits on YouTube after initially debuting exclusively on the iPhone Bruins App before its broader release.

For Director Spooner, an alum of the prestigious Harvard Lampoon, great parody is one of his favorite storytelling tools: "I was psyched to work again with Arnold CD/Copywriter Greg Almeida who created this campaign," says Spooner. "The core team on this project were all from Massachusetts, so naturally we're big Bruins fans. Creating the perfect 'Man Cave' for a seven-foot-tall bear required a massive effort with just two days of prep time. Seeing the campaign go viral so quickly has been really rewarding. Reading all the positive comments online and having it picked up by so many sports blogs is a nice bonus."

Spooner also credits BEEF Films EP John Malina, also a company founding partner, for his stellar producing on the project, as well as Cinematographer AdamSantelli for his perfect flat lighting and lensing. Combined with the art direction and sitcom staging, the campaign achieved just the '80s look that Spooner and the Arnold creatives envisioned. Spooner credits Almeida and his partner Travis Roberson, as well as the Boston Bruins team, who all provided enormous support for the project.

Credits:

Client: Boston Bruins

Agency:Arnold Worldwide

Chief Creative Officer:Pete Favat

Creative Director/Copywriter: Greg Almeida

Art Director: Travis Robertson

Copywriter: Greg Almeida

Executive Producer: Paul Shannon

Photographer/Designer: Brian Babineau

Production Company: BEEF Films

Director: Nick Spooner

DP: Adam Santelli

Executive Producers: John Malina/Ashley Adams

Editing Companies: The Cutting Room & Editbar

Editor: Merritt Duff (The Cutting Room)

Editor: Michael Reuter (Editbar)

VFX: Brickyard VFX

Lead 2D Artists: Jimi Simmons/ Regina Downing

Music, Sound Design, & Audio Mix Company: Soundtrack

Sound Designer/Mixer: Mike Secher

About Beef Films:

Based in Santa Monica, CA, BEEF Films is a national commercial production company featuring the diverse talents of Director/Partner Nick Spooner and Directors Alex Anderson, Joe Schaak, and Seth Townsend. Under the leadership of EP/Partners Ashley Adams, John Malina and Stephen Hens, the company offers a wide range of talent, who all play a distinct and significant role in the creative process, contributing to a highly collaborative culture.